Vinyl B-Stocks

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve split but otherwise in excellent condition***


Joan Armatrading's latest release is a rich collection of songs that showcases her impressive skill as both a songwriter and a musician. Each track blends thoughtful lyrics with her signature melodic style and there's a refreshing mix of full-band arrangements and stripped-back instrumentals. Her guitar work stands out, adding a raw edge to the songs, while her lyrics explore personal reflections and universal themes, as always with honesty and depth. It's a release that reaffirms her place as a long-time favourite, offering both a nod to her past and a new chapter in her musical journey.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Box damaged, product in perfect working order***


American blues-slanted rock band the Black Crowes put out their second album The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion back in May 1992. It was the first time Marc Ford had featured on lead guitar in place of Jeff Cease who was sacked the year before. It also marked the first time Eddie Harsch joined on keys and set a record at the time for being the first album to feature four rock number ones, and the album itself also climbed to the top spot in the Billboard 200 album chart. Its mix of blues and Southern styles often sees the album being included in lists of the best rock albums of all time.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped***


John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell is a searing and intense album that captures the raw power and emotion of the blues. Originally released in 1964, the album has been reissued on vinyl and remains n important milestone to Hooker's artistry. The album opens with the title track, a slow-burning blues that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Hooker's vocals are raw and passionate, and his guitar playing is both hypnotic and driving. The album also features several classic blues standards, including 'Baby Please Don't Go' and 'Key to the Highway.' The album is a timeless classic that continues to inspire and amaze listeners today.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Record slightly warped, creasing to corner of outer sleeve***


Today! is Skip James' second album, originally released in 1966. Now reissued via Craft Recordings over half a century later, this 180-gram LP comes pressed onto heavyweight vinyl with proper retrospective care and attention. An almost entirely solo effort from the blues master, the likes of 'Hard Time Killing Floor Blues' and 'How Long' give atmospheric takes on hard times, amounting to a haunting account of cross-desert drives, driftings, and down-on-one's-luck limit-experiences. This 180-gram LP pressed at QRP includes an obi with notes by Scott Billington, a paper-wrapped jacket and (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


A year shy of its 40th anniversary, Inspiration Information enjoys a reissue and it's still as sparkly and soul-laden as it was in 1974. Ranging from the guitar-twanging smoky blues funk of "Rainy Day" to the sultry, strutting title track, it's largely regarded as Otis's most comprehensive work of that time. According to legend it took him three years to create... 39 years later and it still sounds as good as this? We'd say that's time well spent!

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist and vocalist Slash is an intermittent solo releaser, with his lone output beginning in 2019 with Living The Dream Tour. 2024's Orgy Of The Damned marks his fourth solo full-length, this time manifesting as a distinctly collaborative blues project, enlisting the help of a variety of legends in the style - and legends on Slash's speed dial - including Gary Clark Jr., Iggy Pop, Dorothy, Demi Lovato and Beth Hart. Recalling Guns 'N' Roses' early experimentations in the blues genre, albeit with an up-to-date, contemporary polish, this album of covers of the likes of Robert Johnson and Chester Burnett is sure to delight the diehards.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist and vocalist Slash is an intermittent solo releaser, with his lone output beginning in 2019 with Living The Dream Tour. 2024's Orgy Of The Damned marks his fourth solo full-length, this time manifesting as a distinctly collaborative blues project, enlisting the help of a variety of legends in the style - and legends on Slash's speed dial - including Gary Clark Jr., Iggy Pop, Dorothy, Demi Lovato and Beth Hart. Recalling Guns 'N' Roses' early experimentations in the blues genre, albeit with an up-to-date, contemporary polish, this album of covers of the likes of Robert Johnson and Chester Burnett is sure to delight the diehards.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


This soundtrack is a classy melange of blues, jazz and rock that all perfectly capture the sultry atmosphere of Dennis Hopper's neo-noir classic of the same name. Set in a small Texas town, the film follows drifter Harry Madox as he becomes entangled in a web of seduction and deceit and the moody cinematography and gripping narrative are elevated by this electrifying score. Legends of their game like Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal and Earl Palmer all feature with sparse, eerie and deeply evocative overtones. For that reason, this one is much sought after and has retained its smoky allure 35 years after its original release.